The website, www.prepdata.org (PREPDATA), will process data from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Interior, among other sources. While raw climate data is often too technical for policy-making, PREPDATA will translate it into easy-to-use information, the U.S.-based environmental group WRI said in a statement. John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the project comes as communities worldwide face rising seas, more severe droughts and other climate-related extreme weather. “Critical to building climate resilience is ensuring easy access to authoritative, actionable data about ongoing and projected impacts of climate change,” he said. In its current beta form, the website helps users find data relevant to their environment and visualise related risks, mapping coastal flooding or precipitation change, WRI said.

Source: The Hindu September 23, 2016 15:22 UTC